Seattle Weekly

The floating light rail bridge over Lake Washington may be killing fish in the area. On Aug. 3, Washington State Department of Transportation alerted Sound Transit they found dead fish near the network of anode strings hanging from the I-90 floating bridge into Lake Washington, according to Sound Transit Senior Public Information Officer Rachelle Cunningham.

Travelers should expect traffic delays over the busy Labor Day weekend. Labor Day weekend travel will bring more congestion to state highways and waterways. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will pause most highway construction this weekend to ease congestion, but they said delays are still likely in popular areas due to crashes and wildfires. “We urge you to plan ahead, stay alert and give yourselves extra time to get where you’re going,” according to WSDOT.

“In justifying the discriminatory treatment of mail-in ballots, the USPS analogized them to ‘cremated remains’ and ‘replica explosives.’ In the eyes of the USPS, human remains, fake bombs and mail-in ballots are all ‘unquestionably sensitive’ and raise ‘unique operational considerations.’” (Marc Elias, Democracydocket.com) The Supreme Court’s six conservative justices decided that President Trump’s executive order regarding mail-in ballots and the USPS could not be decided based on...

When power lines are blamed for starting a wildfire, costs to utilities can stretch into the billions and trickle down to consumers. Earlier this year, PacifiCorp settled a federal lawsuit over its lines allegedly starting six fires in Oregon and California, burning nearly 300,000 acres of public land. Thousands of residents also filed claims against the investor-owned utility, which serves 2 million customers in the West.

The U.S. Postal Service rushed the development of electronic tools to comply with a Trump administration policy placing new restrictions on mail-in voting, and defied a court order to stop work on the system, according to an explosive whistleblower complaint published Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

An 18-year-old Kent man faces several potential charges for allegedly setting off fireworks that started the Chelan Hills Fire in July and killed a man. Detectives from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in East Wenatchee traveled to Kent Sept. 2 to arrest Michael Yakimov, according to a press release from the department. He was arrested for investigation of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree arson, first-degree malicious mischief and six counts of third-degree assault.

A 53-year-old Newcastle man received a prison sentence of just over 25 years for the 2024 Renton Big 5 Sporting Goods fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Kent teen. Aaron Myers was sentenced Sept. 2 for second-degree murder and second-degree assault at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Myers shot Hazrat Ali Rohani, a Kent-Meridian High School student, on June 5, 2024, outside of Big 5. Myers was in his vehicle and saw Rohani and his friends walking to the store with BB guns.

The chief deputy assessor and several directors in the King County Department of Assessments are calling for the resignation of the King County Assessor, John Wilson. Following the King County Office of the Ombuds’ findings of ethics violations by Wilson, King County Chief Deputy Assessor, Al Dams, sent a letter on Sept. 2 requesting Wilson to resign from his position. The letter contains the support of nine other division heads.

An investigation revealed Rashaad Powell, who was one of Renton High School’s assistant principals and the boys basketball head coach, had sent sexual messages to mothers of students.

King County Assessor John Wilson violated four ethics codes, according to the King County Office of the Ombuds. On Sept. 1, the King County Office of the Ombuds, an independent organization within the King County government that investigates allegations of fraud, waste, abuse and ethics violations, issued an Ethics Report and Findings on Wilson, spurned by a complaint from King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci.